PART III - WILL THIS DAY EVER END?

"Well, well, Dr. Cavanaugh….It was nice of you to make it in to the office today," Jack Slocum greeted Jordan as she was waiting for Emmy to bring her the files for the day's case load. Jordan looked up at him.

"Oh, didn't you get my message?" she tried innocently. "I went to see Dr. Stiles today to get my psych eval out of the way….Didn't want to get on your bad side already!"

Attitude, he thought. Insubordination and lots of attitude. He was too tired to argue. He'd been burrowing through paperwork all morning. "Look, I have an office to run, whether you like it or not, so let's just get on with the job at hand today." He braced himself for a retort, even as Jordan was reminding herself that she needed to control her temper. She should have known she wouldn't be able to sneak in. She couldn't afford to lose her job, at least not just yet. Maybe she wouldn't care later, but right now this was where she needed to be.

But there was no retort, and Slocum was surprised. Instead, she merely nodded, almost dismissing him. "I'll expect your reports on my desk before you leave." He glanced up at the clock. It was already past three. "Not much time….better get moving." He turned before she could say anything that negated his authority over her, feeling as though he might have won a small battle, but knowing full-well he really had not. He'd been prepared for some reaction, but she'd merely acquiesced. And that was not the Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh he'd read about from her personnel file. He wondered if this was merely the calm before the storm.

Jordan hadn't realized that she'd been holding her breath until Slocum left her office. She sighed deeply, glancing at the dozen or so memos on policy changes, all "effective immediately", that were taped to the back of her chair, a trick Emmy used from time to time when she didn't want Dr. Macy to miss anything that screamed of importance. She un-taped each one, crumpling them and tossing them like basketballs into the waste basket without bothering to give them more than just a cursory glance, if that, just in case….No, that was wishful thinking. Woody was certainly not going to get in touch with her any time soon. And Garret wouldn't call her at the office…If he had any news at all, he'd just call her on her cell phone. She heard one of the newer technicians - an office veteran of all of two months maybe - sobbing in the hall. The first victim of Jack Slocum, maybe?

She already hated Slocum, and it was not because he was a horrible medical examiner. He was good. Really good, as a matter of fact. And he'd certainly been fair about having her dig in to that case in the first place. Hell, he'd even told her he would let her try to clear Garret. That couldn't have been easy, right? But she did not want to work with him, let alone for him. No -- she hated him because he had made her confront her hero, the upstanding Doctor Garret Macy, Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in her endless pursuit of The Truth, she'd uncovered a hidden flaw, an Achilles' Heel that was too large to hide anymore. And in the end Garret left.

Memos all removed, she sat down and hurled the last one toward the trash can, but missed the shot. "Remind me not to take up a career on the court!" she blurted.

"No danger of that, is there? You're a terrible shot, Jordan!" came Bug's matter-of-fact voice from the doorway. "Slocum needs us to go out near Fenway Park. A double homicide, it looks like. Detective Seeley is waiting there for us." Bug let out a sneer at Seeley's name and Jordan looked up, slightly amused for the first time in a few days.

"Why, Bug…Don't you like the great detective?" Jordan was sure Bug's dislike stemmed from jealousy over Seeley's many attempts to date Lily - who thankfully hadn't succumbed as of yet. At least not that she knew of…So much had transpired in a day, anything was possible.

"No, I don't. I wish someone else - anyone else - had responded instead. Seeley is just such an arrogant …." He didn't finish his sentence.

"So, where to?"

Bug looked down at the intake sheet. "Yeah, some night spot called the Cask N' Flagon…It's a…"

"Sports bar kind of," Jordan interrupted. She glanced out the window, where the rain was now more than steadily pouring down. No need for the Old John Hancock Tower to predict the weather….There wouldn't have been a Red Sox game in this torrential downpour, so at least traffic in that area wouldn't be unbearable. "Well, let me grab my umbrella and let's go." They walked out of the office, the last crumpled memo still unnoticed on the floor.

"I was trying to catalog several Hemiptera Belostomatidae…Commonly known as Giant Water Bugs. Did you know that they are eaten as a delicacy and sometimes found in Chinese markets? They're nicknamed 'toe-biters' and are capable of stabbing with their sharpened front beak.," Bug's enthusiasm for his subject was disturbing.

"Remind me not to order any Chinese food!" Jordan said.

Nigel saw Jordan and Bug head toward the elevator and raced after them. "Jo - I've got to talk to you," his voice was urgent. She spun around, thankful to be spared any more detail about bugs of any kind. "That little 'favor' you asked me to do…I am not getting anywhere," he was full of apology. And guilt. But he didn't mention the reason - of course she'd be furious when she learned he had called Max. Instead, he told her he hadn't completely exhausted his resources, but it didn't look promising.

Jordan saw Slocum step into the hall. She repressed the overwhelming urge she had to give him the finger. "Keep trying, Nige," she hissed as she quickly prodded Bug into the elevator. Nigel nodded as the doors closed.

"Oh good. Dr. Townsend…" Slocum started as Nigel turned to head back toward the autopsy room. He was face to face with the detestable chief. So nice of Bug or Jordan to warn him, he thought.

"Yes sir?" Nigel's years in the British Navy hadn't been entirely wasted, he thought. He could still pretend civility and respect toward the higher-ups. He was afraid his emotions would give way, what with Dr. M's untimely unemployment….something he hoped, and maybe even prayed, was just temporary.

Slocum's lips curled slightly upward into a tight smile. Was this man mocking him? he wondered, almost aloud. Well, that couldn't be tolerated… "I need to see you in my office. One hour. And don't forget the paperwork we discussed this morning!" he reminded before going into his office and slamming the door.

The Boston Globe was on his desk, the headlines screaming of Dr. Macy's cover-up. The reporters were like vultures, hovering and waiting to pounce. He would have to instruct the staff to refer any who were able to make it this far directly to him. To ignore them. No comments. Period. He didn't want all of this publicity, didn't need it…Things were tense among the staff as it was. He shook his head, wondering why Garret had ever given him that file. The ME's office would spire out of control if he wasn't careful.

Come away with me in the night…. Garret was listening to the velvety smooth and soothing voice of Nora Jones blaring on his car's CD player, all the while trying to decide what to say to Woody when he arrived at the hospital. God he hated driving in the rain. It was so depressing. His life was so depressing at this point. How could he offer Woody anything positive? Surely someone else was better suited to check on him today! Too late, the hospital was in view. Besides, he needed to find out what was going on between Woody and Jordan….Why wouldn't she just take the day off and go herself? Hell, Jordan had enough vacation and sick and personal days to take off several months, so why drag him into it? Was she just trying to make him feel useful? Well, it wasn't working. He saw a few ambulances by the emergency bay and started slowing to look for a spot to park. Even though he'd turned over his file to Slocum he still had his ME tag displayed on the rugged Ford Expedition, the three months' new SUV he was now driving, so parking wouldn't be a problem. The only thing positive in his day so far. But at least he wouldn't get too wet. He skillfully slid into a tight place between a cop car and a Volkswagon Bug, got out, locked up and tried to slip in through the massive double doors before some reporter saw him.

Lily brushed back a long strand of hair. The Raimes kid's parents were waiting for her in the conference room. She picked up the case file and leafed through it absently. How hard was this going to be? She hated the whole notification/identification process, but never more so than when a child was involved. Geez, the boy had only been nine…He'd had his whole life ahead of him! She sighed loudly.

"Hello, Ms. Lebowski. Sleep well?" Jack Slocum asked, trying to sound somewhat solicitous. But the words came out more sarcastic than not, and Lily looked up to glare at him.

"If you'll excuse me, I have clients waiting in the conference room…" Her voice was short, rude. She started to edge past him.

"I know. I thought I would accompany you. See exactly how you handle your position as a Grief Counselor." He put his arm along the door, to keep it from closing on him when she walked through, but she had stopped dead in her tracks.

Oh, please, no! One of the most emotionally difficult types of cases for her - as all cases involving children were - and now Slocum was going to be watching her every move! Unbelievable!

"Come now, Ms. Lebowski….We don't want to keep clients waiting." Slocum herded her through the door. Possibly to my doom, Lily thought, walking toward the conference room as though she were going to the guillotine.

Jordan was bent over one of the bodies that had been found - outdoors unfortunately - trying to take a liver temperature before she got drenched. "Oh great," Bug complained. "Looks like they're bringing in the Feds," he finished disdainfully. He pointed to a line of black cars where several men in black suits stepped out under their black umbrellas and flashing badges to some of the officers nearby. "I'd love to hear what they said to Seeley," Bug said almost gleefully, noting the detective's frustration.

Jordan didn't bother to look up. She was already more than annoyed. She couldn't believe Nigel hadn't tracked Cal down! She was desperate to talk to him about Woody…Where the hell was he!